Best Practices For Working With Your Roofing Subcontractor

Construction projects are very comprehensive. Whether the edifice being built is a residential or commercial property, each section of the building requires specialized skills. You have electricians to handle the electrical systems, painters for the paintwork and, of course, roofers for the roof. These are a few best practices for working with roofing subcontractor.  The person not afraid of heights.

It has become popular amongst contractors to subcontract their roofing work to roofing subcontractors. For them, the decision has several benefits to both productivity and finances.

Why Should You Hire a Roofing Subcontractor?

Outsourcing, in general, has many benefits. One of these is expertise. If you don’t have a team of experienced roofers in your company, it’s more economical to hire a third party to do the job for you. It’s more expensive, after all, and time-consuming to build your own team.

With a subcontractor, you only have to agree on a fixed amount of their services. The subcontractor will do what is needed from them, and they will provide their own tools and transportation as well.

All you need to do in this case is make sure that you have a positive working relationship with your roofing subcontractor.

The Importance of a Good Working Relationship

A good working relationship is actually the secret to a good outcome in any project. When everyone gets along well in the workplace, there are no conflicts or interruptions that can affect each team member’s productivity.

A team that doesn’t get along well, however, can potentially cause hitches and delays in the construction project. In the context of your company and your subcontractor, miscommunications and disagreements can lead to the project being halted temporarily as you work out the kinks in your working relationship.

Remember, delays can cost everyone money. You and the subcontractor could end up losing a client just because you don’t get along well.

Best Practices to Follow When Working With a Roofing Subcontractor

Keep everyone safe.

Construction work is inherently dangerous. The roofing subcontractor is well trained to do his part in keeping himself and his surroundings safe.

However, you should also do your part in ensuring everyone’s safety. Make sure that there are no items in the workplace that can cause slips, especially in the roof. Slips and falls can cause serious injuries and even death.

Maintain clear communication between subcontractor, contractor and client.

To ensure the smooth progress of the project, everyone needs to be on the same page. Because you’re subcontracting roofing labor to a third party, you are the sole person who can connect to the client.

As the main contractor, it is then your job to communicate with both parties. You should ensure that each instruction from the client is conveyed properly and correctly to the subcontractor.

Be transparent as to what is going on with the project.

You should not hide anything from your client nor your subcontractor. If there are problems, especially in payroll, you should not keep your subcontractor in the dark.

For instance, if there are delays in payment, you should not lie to your subcontractor about that. They need to manage their people as well. Keeping the out of the loop will only cause problems to your subcontractor in the human resource department.

Maintain your commitment.

There have been cases where the contractor has bailed out the subcontractor, because they have found another subcontractor to replace the existing one.

Unless there are serious reasons for you to do so, don’t suddenly replace the subcontractor without any negotiation or notification. You have a contract – you might end up having legal trouble if you do that.

Ensure the welfare of the workers.

Finally, go the extra mile and make sure everyone’s well taken care of. The subcontractor, by law, is mandated to take care of their own employees, but it would do good to your professional relationship if you also do your part in making sure they are well fed, housed and well-supplied.

As a businessman, you need to be very professional and ethical in handling your workers and subcontractors. These best practices should ensure that you’re always in the right path in working with your roofing subcontractors, and this will have positive effects on your reputation as well.